Dermatology: Preparing Your Young Child For A Visit

Even if you explain dermatology to a child, he or she may still have some concerns about going in for an appointment. This is especially true for children that have a difficult time going in to see their pediatrician. As a parent, you have the ability to set the stage to ensure that this is a low stress situation for your child. With a little bit of preparation and taking the time to answer questions, you can make the entire experience better for you and your child.

Talking About the Condition:
If you have already seen a pediatrician for the skin concern you and your child have probably spoke about the skin condition. It is important to explain that someone that works in dermatology understands skin and knows how to handle a variety of conditions. Often parents will portray the dermatologist as someone capable of "saving the day," when it comes to their child's uncomfortable or itchy issue.

Explaining the Sequence of Events:
When it comes to kids, fear of the unknown in common. To take away some of the anxiety, explain how things are going to go. You can point out the similarities to a regular doctor's appointment and talk about the difference. Because dermatology focuses on the skin, you want to explain how the dermatologist will examine their skin. When you notice that he or she is starting to show signs of worry, you can explain that you will be there the entire time and they will not be alone.

If there are going to be tests, including shots, you need to make a judgment call. You know your child best and you know whether or not telling your child in advance will help or hurt how the appointment goes. Some kids will do better knowing that a specific test is going to take place. They want to know what will happen and what it will feel like. Others will take that information and worry and stress out until the day of the appointment.

Answering Questions:
It is completely normal for your child to have questions about the doctor, the appointment or even dermatology in general. Do the best you can to answer the questions. If you don't have the answer, you can always research and then get back to your child. If your child is a little older, the two of you can sit together and research the answers. It may not be easy, but do the best that you can.

It is not always easy to prepare your child for a dermatology appointment. Try not to stress out as this can be transferred to your child. One of the most important things you can do is pay attention to your child and be there for him or her. Remember that through a child's eyes, this appointment is a really big deal.